Texas deer breeders would like fewer regulations, but Chronic Wasting Disease is no joke for the deer industry.

When state lawmakers return this month, they’ll be greeted with a debate that could affect the livelihood and health of Texas deer. Hunting deer on ranches where they are bred for hunting is pretty controversial in the hunting community.

There are over 4 million wild deer in Texas, which makes many people think that farming them a bit unreasonable.

Deer farming is a billion-dollar industry and there are 1,300 breeders in Texas alone. This group is seeking to deregulate the industry even further. Texans for Saving Our Hunting Heritage say that there are a few big issues with this push:

Untested drugs are used to breed bigger and better deer, but there is no research on the effects these drugs and the withdraw of these drugs could have on the people that eat the meat.

Captive deer can be released without being marked which means hunters may not be aware that they are hunting captive raised deer.

Deer breeders have made it so that they are exempt from habitat requirements formed by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.

Deregulation could cause the spread of Chronic Wasting Disease in deer. Texans value hunting strongly and it would be devastating if this disease was allowed to continue to spread. Deer breeders are sure to fight regulations, but Chronic Wasting Disease is no joke and we need to ensure the safety and health of our future deer populations.